1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to systems and methods for treating glaucoma in an eye of a patient. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for treating glaucoma in an eye of a patient using a laser beam, systems and methods for treating glaucoma by inserting implants to an eye of a patient, and methods and systems for three dimensionally imaging a portion of an eye.
2. Background Information
Glaucoma is a severe disease of the eye, where the optic nerve is impaired. Glaucoma may lead to vision loss. One of the major risk factors for developing glaucoma is the intraocular pressure. Increased intraocular pressure can be treated by applying drugs. In cases where applying medication does not result in the desired decrease of intraocular pressure, surgery is another therapy. In such cases both laser surgery and conventional surgery are performed.
In many cases an increased intraocular pressure is due to an impaired balance between the production of aqueous humor in the ciliary body of the posterior chamber of the eye and the drainage of the aqueous humor within the anterior chamber of the eye through the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal. Thus, many surgery strategies are directed to either modifying, that means in particular to decreasing, the production rate of aqueous humor or by modifying, that means in particular by increasing, the drainage rate of the aqueous humor from the anterior chamber. The production rate of aqueous humor is affected by treating the ciliary body in the posterior chamber of the eye. The drainage rate of the aqueous humor from the anterior chamber is affected by modifying structures in the trabecular meshwork, by introducing implants or tube shunts providing conduits from the posterior chamber to the anterior chamber or from the anterior chamber to the sclera or by manipulating Schlemm's canal.
Although considerably successes have been achieved during recent years, the accuracy with which surgical interventions can be performed is often not high enough. Thus, there is a need to provide improved methods for treating glaucoma in an eye of a patient.